Day: April 2, 2024

Hanoi: Lai Gia Thanh won the first title for Vietnam at the International Weightlifting Federation World Cup on April 1 in Phuket, Thailand.

The world champion topped the men’s 55kg in the snatch event with a lift of 120kg, leaving behind two powerful ChomChuen Nathawat of Thailand (119kg) and Pang Un Chol of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (118kg).

“Snatch is Thanh’s strong point. Our coaches worked out a suitable plan to help him vie for gold in this event against strong opponents from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the hosts,” said Nguyen Huy Hung of the Sports Authority of Vietnam.

In the clean and jerk, Thanh made 148kg after three attempts and took the bronze.

Pang topped the podium with 152kg, followed by Nathawat with 150kg.

In the total, his combined lift of 268kg gave Thanh a second bronze.

Pang and Nathawat were again first and second with 270kg and 269kg, respectively.

Earlier, Vietnam had one silver and two bronzes by Khong My Phuong in the women’s 45kg class.

A
lthough they are World Cup’s top three both Thanh and Phuong will not qualify for Olympics as their categories are not included in the short list.

On April 2, two Vietnamese Trinh Van Vinh and Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan will compete in the men’s 61kg. The duo is expected to bring home an Olympic slot from this tournament, the final Paris Games’ qualification./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Dien Bien: The 10th Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival of Ethnic Groups of Dien Bien district kicked off in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on April 1.

The event forms part of activities to celebrate the 270th anniversary of the victory of Hoang Cong Chat insurgent troops to liberate Muong Thanh (1754 – 2024), the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7) and Visit Vietnam Year – Dien Bien 2024.

The annual festival aims to preserve, introduce and promote typical cultural values and traditional sports of 11 ethnic groups in Dien Bien district. This is also an opportunity for artisans, actors and athletes to meet, join in exchanges, strengthen the great national unity, mobilise cooperation of all people in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, thus helping to build an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.

The event has gathered more than 500 artisans, actors, athletes and art troupes from 21 communes in the district as well as other provinces
such as Bac Giang, Hoa Binh and Thai Nguyen, among others.

During the three-day festival, revellers will have a chance to take part in several activities including a mass art festival, a national costumes show, folk dances, sports competitions and visit booths displaying cultural and tourism products, handicrafts, ethnic cuisine, agricultural and One Commune – One Product (OCOP) products.

The festival runs until April 3./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: Vietnam is set to host the World Pickleball Championship (WPC) Series – Asia Pacific for the first time from April 3-9 at Resort Carmelina in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

The WPC Series – Asia Pacific consists of 12 tournaments, each held in a different country. The event in Vietnam marks the second stop in Asia, with eight more scheduled in Asia and four in Australia, leading up to the WPC finals.

The tournament in Vietnam will feature 300 athletes, including 220 foreign players, who will compete in the men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, as well as mixed doubles categories. The competition will also feature divisions based on age groups to accommodate the athletes’ physical condition.

Vietnam will have several representatives in the professional category, including tennis veteran Trinh Linh Giang.

Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport played with two players (singles) or four players (doubles). Participants use paddles to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball ov
er a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side fails to return the ball or commits a rule infraction.

Pickleball gained popularity in the Pacific Northwest region of the US between 1965 and 2020, and has since grown in popularity across the country. In fact, the sport was recognised as the fastest-growing sport in the US in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with an estimated 4.8 million players by 2023.

Introduced to Vietnam in 2018, pickleball has experienced significant growth in recent years, with approximately 25 pickleball clubs now established throughout the country.

Luu Thuy Dung, a member of the organising committee, expressed her commitment to ensuring the successful organisation of this prestigious tournament, with the aim of promoting the growth of pickleball in Vietnam.

‘I hope that this tournament will serve as a turning point for the development of the sport not only in Vietnam but also around the world,’ Dung said.

The final event of the WPC Series – Asia Pacific will also be held in Vietnam in January
2025./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Dien Bien: Seventy large posters by amateur and professional artists across the country are put on display in the northwestern province of Dien Bien’s Dien Bien Phu city, as part of the activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory.

The posters are chosen from a contest for such works commemorating the victory, which was launched by the Mass Culture Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Addressing the opening ceremony on April 2, Vice Director of the department Nguyen Quoc Huy said that the posters depict the meaning, significance, and historical values of the victory, affirming the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, as well as the great national solidarity spirit.

The exhibition aims to highlight the tradition of patriotism, revolutionary heroism, and the determination to win through the victory, while showing gratitude to people who shed their blood and made contributions to the cause of national liberation and reuni
fication, he said.

The official added that the activity is expected to encourage officials, Party members, and people from all walks of life to overcome difficulties to complete all political tasks and successfully implement the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution.

The exhibition will last until the end of April.

Along with Dien Bien, the posters were exhibited in the northern provinces of Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: FIFA has appointed Vietnamese female referee Le Thi Ly to officiate at the Maurice Revellor Tournament held in the framework of the 50th international Espoirs festival in France.

The Maurice Revellor Tournament is one of the oldest and most prestigious youth football competition in France. This year’s event will take place from June 3-16, drawing the participation of 10 teams from Egypt, France, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine.

It is a good chance for the teams to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics and FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2030.

Nine referees and 18 assistant referees, all female, will oversee all 26 matches.

Most recently, Ly was appointed to the final round of the 2024 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in Uzbekistan./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnamese weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh clinched a coveted spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a dominant performance at the ongoing 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Thailand.

Competing in Group B on April 2, Vinh registered a combined weight of 298kg – the highest in his group, which included eight other competitors. This impressive showing ultimately translated to a top-nine global ranking on the Olympic qualification leaderboard, with a final result of 294kg.

Vinh’s qualification extended Vietnam’s remarkable streak of securing weightlifting berths at the Olympics for six consecutive Games, from 2004 to 2024.

His triumph added to the growing roster of Vietnamese athletes who have secured their places at the prestigious Paris Games, joining Nguyen Thi That (cycling), Le Thi Mong Tuyen (shooting), Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming), and Vo Thi Kim Anh (boxing)./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency